Search

Native residents are indispensable participants in developing and conserving the natural environment. Specifying the factors that lead to responsible behavior among the local people can help increase sustainability. This paper aims to investigate the pro-environmental behavior among the local residents of the Kashmir region defined by the components of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Value Belief Norm (VBN) Theory. To analyze the data, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) has been used as research methods. The results reveal that the three components of TPB (general environmental attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control) have a positive and significant impact on the pro-environmental behavior of residents. Moreover, the findings also demonstrate that the factors of VBN (altruistic, egoistic and biospheric values) significantly influence the general environmental attitude which in turn impacts the pro-environmental behavior of local residents. The paper seeks to contribute to the existing literature by adding local community insights based on the explanations given by socio-psychological theories within the context of natural environment. The study will help policymakers to understand better the residents' intentions and pro-environmental behavior so that they can develop strategies to manage and combat the environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nexus of tourism and sustainability has emerged as a catchphrase in academic literature in recent years. The present study employed an integrated path model to investigate the increasing significance of sustainable tourism, which is attributed, in part, to the penchant of domestic tourists to consume locally sourced food. The investigation additionally ascertains the potential influence of local food products on the various dimensions of sustainability, including economic, cultural, social, and environmental aspects. Data is collected using a purposeful sample technique, with 462 responses from domestic tourists to the Kashmir Valley being screened and analyzed using SPSS and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings derived from PLS-SEM analysis demonstrate that the act of domestic tourists consuming locally produced food has a considerable and statistically significant influence on sustainability-focused tourism. Furthermore, the consumption of locally grown foods has a positive influence on various dimensions of sustainability, including the economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects. The present study contributes to the existing scholarly literature on the subjects of regional gastronomy and sustainable tourism. In the current work, the authors aim to present the potential of local food to promote sustainable tourism in the tourist host regions. The outcomes of this research can be utilized by policymakers in the tourism sector to enhance their ability to effectively market indigenous cuisine, thereby sustaining the industry's enduring viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism plays an important role in encouraging cooperation and peace between the partitioned countries. The current study aims to investigate the influence of cross-border tourism on bilateral trade and cooperation between India and Myanmar. Further, the paper identifies the role of community support as a mediator between exogenous and endogenous variables. An onsite questionnaire is distributed among the residents of Indian border areas close to the neighboring border of Myanmar. The SEM is employed to reject the null hypotheses and test the proposed model empirically. The findings reveal that all the proposed hypotheses are supported. The cross-border cooperation is positively influenced by cross-border tourism development and trade between India and Myanmar. Moreover, community support mediates the relationship between cross-border tourism, bilateral trade, and cooperation. An important consideration from this paper is that tourism supported by border communities can act as a catalyst for promoting cooperation among hostile countries. India and Myanmar being close neighbors, have huge scope to support each other through different cross-border programs, projects, and bilateral trade. The study provides valuable insights for both countries to adopt tourism initiatives as a tool to ameliorate their relationships and develop the economic conditions of border communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]